Mechanism for the interconversion of reciprocation and rotation



Sept, 4, 1945. FERQY 2,384,290

MECHANISM FOR THE IMERCONVERSION 0F RECIPROCATION AND ROTATION Filed Aug. 9, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JTIDRNE Y Sept. 4, 1945. A. FEROY I 2,384,290

MECHANISM FOR THE INTERCONVERSION OF RECIPROCATION AND ROTATION Filed Aug. 9, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 4, 1945 UNITED accuse MECHANISM FOR THE INTERCONVERSION- OF BECIPBOCATIQN AND ROTATION Y Y Arne Feroy, New York, N. Y., asslg nor to Rogers Diesel and Aircraft Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 9, 1944, Serial No. 548,726

9 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanism for the interconversion of reciprocation and rotation for use in engines, pumps, and compressors of the class having cylinders parallel to the shaft, the class commonly called barrel type axial, or round engine mechanisms. This invention is especially concemed-with single-ended mechanisms as may be used in single-ended barrel engines, pumps, or compressors, or in each end of an opposedpiston barrel engine. This application describes further improvements in the single-ended mechanisms described in the application of E. S. Hall, Ser. No. 493,416, filed July 3, 1943 (U. S. Patent No. 2,357,735).

In such mechanisms, reciprocating members (conveniently called reclpers") may be operably connected to the shaft by means of a starplate mounted on bearings .on and inclined to the shaft, the starplate having several arms, each operably connectedto one of the recipers. The starplate bearings may include a journal bearing and a slipper bearing, the slippers operable upon a slant, 9. plane-faced disc inclined to and rotating with the shaft, normal to and coaxial with the journal bearing.

Objects of the invention are to provide improvements in the operable mounting of the starplate on the shaft and in the. operable connections between the starplate and the recipers, to.

facilitate production and to reduce weight and cost. Other objects are to provide a unitary or integral mounting for the starplate, with slant and shaft integral; to provide a construction by which the smaller slant member may more readily be clampedparallel to the main slant; to provide, in an opposed-piston engine mechanism, a main shaft comprising a pair of end portions each integral with its main slant and each splined to an intermediate connecting shaft, with tension means for tying the two end portions together; and to provide improved means for holding each wristpin to its starplate arm, so constructed as to permit more strength in the starplate arm while permitting axial adjustment of the 'wristpin on the arm.

Other objects of the invention are to form the shaft of an opposed-piston engine in three portions, the end portions each operable in a pair of main bearings supported by the frame, the bendin load on the frame which is naturally rigid in bending, the center portion of the shaft serving to connect the two end portions, separately in torsion and in tension. Other objects are to form the inte ral shaft and slant so that the unit can be readily cast and amply strong when cast of a high-strength cast iron or steel; and

to form the starplate so that it can have adequate bending strength in the arms and torsional strength in the sections between arms when cast of high-strength cast iron or steel.

These and other objects of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description in connection with the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the starplate mechanism at one end of an opposed-piston engine, the other end being similar with its pistons facing the pistons shown in the common cylinder block and with a common shaft member in well-known manner;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner of assembling the star-plate on the unitary mounting;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, partly in'longitudi- 119.1 section and partly in elevation, of the connections between a reciper and an arm of the starplate; and

- Fig. 4 is a top view of the portion of the mechanism shown in F18. 8.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a single-ended reciprocating mechanism as used at one end of an opposed-piston engine, the other end being the same, cylinder block I4 and shaft member II being common to both ends. Each reciper comprising a piston I. and a crosshead llheld together by a screw [2, the piston operable in a cylinder and the crosshead operable in a cylindrical crosshead guide II of larger bore than the cylinder, both formed in or supported by the frame ll comprising the fixed parts of the machine. Several pistons ll, five or seven or another convenient number, in cylinders spaced about and parallel to the main shaft axis, are operably connected to the shaft by starplate 20. Such asingle-ended mechanism, with pistons at one end only of the crossheads, may be used in a single-ended barrel engine, pump, or compressor, or it may form half of an opposed-piston barrel engine mechanism, the other half being similar with its pistons facing pistons is m the same cylinders.

' The main shaft connecting the two starplate mechanisms of an opposed-piston engine may include a pair of unitary shaft and slant members 30, each mounted in a pair of main bearings 40 supported by frame I and frame cover II, and a connecting shaft ll consisting of a central splined member if and a pair of bolts I! with their nuts ll.

Slant member II has a plane-faced slant surfaceflnormaltotheinclinedaxisofiournal 38. Slippers 2i, pivoted on starplate fl, coact with slant 3| with wedge-film lubrication. Journal bearing 28, a press fit in starplate 2t. coacts with journal If. smauer slant fl is bolted to main slant member I. with its slant face parallel toslantface 8| andcoactingwlth flange 24 of bushing". Smallerslant Ilalsohasa thrust face ll coaeting with the flange of the inner main bearing ll. locating the shaft assembly axially.

AsshowninI'lgJandenlai-gedinl'lgs. sand 4, each arm of starplate II is operably connected" to its reciperby a wristpln fl and a pinhead ll. Wristpin I is rotatable and slidable in a bore inpinheadihtheaxisofwristpinflbeingsubstantially tangent to a circle concentric with and in the mid-plane of starplate II. Pinhead ii is rotatable and slidable in a bore in crosshead ii, the axis of the bore being substantially radial to the main shaft. 'Ihe ends of wrlstpins se may be spherical as shown, to coact with internal surfaces II in crossheads II, to predetermine correctly the motion of starplate 2. as described in the patent application referred to.

Wristpin II is milled out to fit the hook on the arm of starplate II, and is held in engagement with the hook by wedges II. The milled recess in wristpin II is made longer than the width of the arm of starplate ft, to permit axial ad- Justment of wristpin I relative to the arm.

Axial adjustment of wristpin ll may be made by loosening one of the wedges 02 while driv-' ing the other deeper. Either wedge tightly driven locks both, and secures wristpin ll in engagement with the hook of the arm of starplate 20.;

ported on flanges I! of frame I. Pistons it may be entered in the cylinders with their rings in place. Unitary slant and shaft 3| is deformed at I! to permitstarplate with its bushing II to 'be swung into alignment for engagement with Journal 83, asindicated in Fig. 2. When starplate 20 with its slippers fl and bushing 23 has been assembled on slant unit 3|, and the smaller slant 34 bolted thereto, the whole starplate and s'lant assembly as a unit, with a crosshead ll loosely surrounding each arm, may be entered in the end of frame ll, the inner end of unitary shaft entering bearing ll and engaging the splines 55 on intermediate shaft ii. Then cover the starplate mechanism, in well-known manner. Oil fed into shaft ll flows outwardly to starplate 2|, lubricating slippers II and the other bearings: and thru the arms of starplate II, wristpins I. and pinheads Oi, to lubricate their bearing surfaces. thence into pistons II to aid in cooling them, from which it returns to the calm.

It .is understood that the invention is capable of modification and that changes may be made in theconstructionandinthearrangementdthe various parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as expre-ed in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an opposed-piston engine mechanism having a pair of starplate mechanisms and inter- It may be put in place, the other hearing it supporting unitary shaft fl: bolt 32 may be screwed into the end of intermediate shaft II, and drawn up by nut 53 until the running parts are properly positioned relative to frame ll, after which nut if may be locked: and pistons ll may be fastened to each crosshead by screw II, the screw being locked by a slug of soft metal ll, driven in and upset against theknurled head of screw If, as shown in Fig. 3.

With each arm of starplate II, in turn, inclined toward cover ll, its plnhead II and wristpin ll may be inserted in its crosshead il; then convenlently at mid-stroke position, wristpin ll may mediate shaft means connecting them together; a starplate mechanism comprising reciprocating members parallel to the axis of rotation of said shaft means and each including a piston and a crosshead, a starplate, a mounting for said starand its reciprocating members; each of said connections including an arm on said starplate, a wristpin substantially tangent to a circle in midplane of said star'plate, a pair of wedges justably fixing said wristpin to said arm, for locking said wedges, and a pinhead operably receiving said wristpin and operable in a bore thecrosshead of its reciprocating member, the axisofsaidborebeingsubstantiallyradialto said shaft axis, the ends of said wristpin coacting with said crosshead to aid in controlling correctly the motion of said starplate.

2. In an opposed-piston engine mechanism having a pair of starplate mechanisms and an intermediate shaft connecting them together; a starplate mechanism comprising reciprocating members parallel to said shaft, a starplate, an integral mounting for said starplate including slant and shaft portions, and operable connections between the starplate and its reciprocating members, each of said connections including an arm on said starplate, two plane faces on said am and a wristpin formed to engage said plane faces, the angle between each of said plane faces and the plane of said starplate being greater than the angle between the plane of said starplate and said star-plate, a wristpin, and wedges holding said wristDln ag inst said arm.

4.. In a machine of the class described, a shaft, cylinders parallel thereto, reciprocating members operable in said cylinders and each including a cromhead portion and a piston portion at one end of said crosshead portion, astarplate operably mounted on and inclined to said shaft, an arm on said starplate for each of said reciprocating members, a wristpin pressed against the piston'side of said arm by the driving forces of said piston portion, ands pair of wedges one on each side of said arm securing said wristpin to said arm. I

5. In mechanism of the character described, a shaft, a starplate operably mounted on and inclined thereto, a reciprocating member movable on an axis parallel to said shaft, an arm on said starplate, and a wristpin mounted on said arm with limited axial adjustability and operably connected to said reciprocating member, and a pair of wedges holding said wristpin to said arm, said wristpin adjustable axially by withdrawing one wedge and driving the other deeper.

6. A starplate mechanism comprising a shaft, a starplate operably'connected to said shaft, 2. reciper operating in a path parallel to said shaft, an arm on said starplate, a wristpin operably connected to said reciper and having a recess formed therein to receive said arm, holes formed partly in the sides of said arm and partly in the ends of said recess, and wedges in said holes for securing said arm to said wristpin.

7. A starplate mechanism comprising a shaft, a starplate operably connected to said shaft, a reciper operating parallel to said shaft, an arm on said starplate, a wristpin operably connected to said reciper, said wristpin having a recess to receive said am, wedge receiving holes formed partly in the sides of said arm and partly in the ends of said recess. and wedges in said holes, said holes and wedges being so formed and arranged that the setting of said wedges draws said wristpin and arm together and the loosening of one wedge and the tightening of the other wedge may effect a relative adjustment between said arm and wristpin longitudinally of said wristpin.

8. In an opposed-piston engine mechanism of the barrel type having a frame and cylinders spaced about and parallel to the main axis thereof a pair of piston members operably opposed in each of said 'cylinders; a pair of starplates operably connected to said piston members; a pair of integral slant and shaft members, one for each starplate, each including bearing means operably mounting a starplate on an axis inclined to said main axis and bearing means for support: ing said integral member for rotation in said frame on said main axis; and shaft means connecting said integral members, said shaft means including a splined shaft connecting said integral members in fixed position rotationally relative allel to the slant face of said to each other and drawbolts holding said integral members in fixed position axially relative to each other and to said splinedshaft.

9. A mechanism comprising a frame, cylinders spaced about and parallel to the main axis of said frame, reciprocating members operable in said cylinders, a starplate, operable connections :between said starplate and said reciprocating members, and an operable mounting for said starplate comprising an integral shaft and slant member, bearings for the shaft of said member in and coaxial with said frame, a journal and a slant face integral with said member and operably supporting said star-plate with its axis inclined to that of the shaftof said member, and

a smaller slant member clamped to said integral shaft and slant member with its slant face parmember.

ARNE FEROY. 

